Islamists and the Global Order - (Edinburgh Studies of the Globalised Muslim World) by Hanna Pfeifer (Paperback)

About the Book

Studies the ways in which Islamists engage with, rather than fight, the Western-dominated global order.

Book Synopsis

This book presents a thought-provoking challenge to the commonly held belief that Islamists uniformly reject the Western-dominated world order. In the wake of George W. Bush's declaration of a 'global war on terror' in 2001, Islamists have often been associated with violence, opposition to liberal values and the disruption of order. However, a closer examination reveals that only a fraction of the groups categorised as 'Islamist' genuinely combat the global order. Through an in-depth analysis of the discourses of Tunisian Ennahda and Lebanese Hezbollah, this book demonstrates that Islamist stances toward the world order involve a delicate balance between resistance to certain aspects of the Western-dominated order and recognition of others.

Review Quotes

'This is an ambitious book which is well situated in the nexus between IR theory, Middle East studies and different strands of the Islamist scholarship. In a convincing way, it presents an original, nuanced and complex argument that builds on theoretical, methodological and empirical insights and tools from these different academic traditions.'

--Morten Valbjørn, Aarhus University

Hanna Pfeifer's book is a well-crafted, theoretically rich study on how statist Islamists perceive and frame the Western-dominated world order. Her core argument that both the Tunisian Ennahda and the Lebanese Hezballah primarily recognize rather than resist central principles of global order is highly innovative. This volume will certainly become an important reference work at the intersection of IR and Islamism studies in the years to come.

--André Bank, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)

A much-needed contribution to our understanding of how Islamists actors interact with the western-dominated global order. Moving beyond monolithic views of Islamists, Hanna Pfeifer presents an insightful and rich analysis of how multifaceted Islamist actors are in their outlook on the international.--May Darwich, University of Birmingham

In Islamists and the Global Order, Hanna Pfeifer examines the underexplored worldviews of Ennahda and Hezbollah regarding global order. By delving into these perspectives, Pfeifer effectively challenges the prevalent 'Islam versus the West' narrative and transcends the conventional security-focused approach that dominates political science's treatment of political Islam.--Jocelyne Cesari, University of Birmingham